Kiss Cam
by Wolfie-Dragon
Summary: Fluffy modern AU oneshot. Trying to bring back the spark in her love life, Astrid takes her boyfriend Eret to a soccer match. Their relationship is put to the test when the kiss cam falls on them during halftime. But when things get ugly, a certain mascot comes to the rescue.


**I saw this video recently, /** **watch?v=SSSBXPda50w , (you can past that after the Youtube url) and it inspired me to write this. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Also, I know I'm a little behind on Blind Spots. I decided to switch two chapters around, so the one I thought was gonna come next was mostly written already, and I had to switch to a different chapter to write. I hope to post it by the end of this week.**

* * *

"The referee blows his whistle! It's time for intermission, with the Dragons leading 2-1 over the Vikings! Get your drinks and snacks, because it's gonna be another exciting half in about 20 minutes!" the announcer's voice echoed through the stadium. All around Astrid Dragons supporters cheered for their team, before getting up to go to the bathroom or grab some soda. The big screens stopped showing the field, and instead started playing commercials for beer and cars.

"You want a drink?" Astrid asked her boyfriend, the rush of the game still racing through her veins.

No response.

Astrid turned her head to look at Eret. He was looking down at his phone, playing some stupid game. He was utterly oblivious to his surroundings, including the winged Dragons supporters glaring at his Viking helmet. Astrid wasn't happy with his attire either.

At one point Eret had been a Dragons fan as well, back in college. But it sometimes felt like the more she got into soccer, the more he hated the sport. Now when they watched a game together he'd complain that the soccer players were sissies and wimps for playing up injuries.

She supposed it was different from the American football Eret played, where the players would just keep pounding into each other until they were covered in blood. At one point she had found it hot, seeing her quarterback boyfriend tackling other big guys. But now she preferred soccer for some reason. She even played for the local team now, although Eret never came to see her play. And she didn't feel like going to his games anymore either.

They hadn't done anything together for a long time, Astrid realized last week. It had taken so much effort to get him to come along to this match. Maybe she hoped that it would bring back some old spark, like when they watched the games together in college, cheering for the Dragons.

But as she looked at her boyfriend pay more attention to shooting virtual birds at pigs than to her, she wondered why she even bothered anymore.

"Hey, you want a drink?" she asked louder, poking him. He whipped his head up to glare at her, before turning back to shoot another red bird.

"Nah, I'm good," he muttered, and she sighed. Realizing that she wasn't getting anywhere she stood up and walked to the concession stand.

As she waited in line to order, she heard children giggling and laughing. The sounds made her turn around to see Toothless the Night Fury standing nearby, entertaining small children. Toothless was the Dragons' mascot.

"Toothless! Toothy! I want a picture with him!" a boy ran past Astrid, his mother following as quickly as she could with her pregnant belly. The sight of the costumed man posing with the kids made Astrid smile.

Toothless hadn't always been the Dragons' mascot. It used to be Hookfang the Monstrous Nightmare. Hookfang had been a much more terrifying and violent symbol, and it seemed that that attitude reflected on the supporters. About a year ago there had been a big fight between Dragons and Vikings supporters. Hardly the first, the clubs were rivals, but at this one an innocent bystander who told them to stop fighting was beaten to death.

The event had shocked the clubs, and they vowed to create a more friendly atmosphere. The stadium had to become a place where families could have fun again without fear of hooliganism. And at the center of that new narrative was Toothless the Night Fury, a cute yet fierce dragon who made peace with the Vikings.

Astrid suddenly realized that was around the same time Eret started complaining about how soccer was a sport for weaklings and sissies. She briefly considered getting her boyfriend for a picture when she saw an elderly couple posing with the mascot. But then the lady talked to Toothless about how happy she was that the stadium was cheerful again, and she realized Eret wouldn't like it. The man in the Night Fury costume didn't reply, he never talked, but he nodded happily and gave the lady a thumbs up with his claw.

Finally Astrid reached the stand, and ordered a soda and some fries. Normally she wouldn't eat junk food, but this was a special occasion, and maybe Eret would like them.

But when she climbed back up the bleachers and saw him it felt hopeless again. He had closed his game, but he was now having a telephone conversation, probably with his friend Drago.

"Yeah, sorry it's loud on my end, man. She dragged me to this, you know," he said, reaching out to grab a handful of fries without acknowledging her.

Part of Astrid wanted to yell at him, to grab that phone and smash it and force him to pay attention to him. But she didn't want to start a fight here, especially with the Dragons fans all around them sitting back down. Toothless wouldn't start a fight, and neither would she.

Suddenly a cheery song started playing, and the big screens lit up with Toothless and Bork, the Vikings mascot, hugging. Then they parted to reveal the words KISS CAM and a heart shaped camera view.

A big sigh of anticipation echoed through the stadium. The kiss cam was another initiative to make the stadium friendlier and celebrate love instead of hate. Astrid looked as the camera locked to a couple wearing Viking helmets. They gasped, before quickly kissing each other. A moment later the camera switched to another couple, who did the same thing.

Astrid glanced at Eret, who was too engrossed in explaining to Drago how boring the match was and how loud the children were to even look at the big screen.

The camera switched again, and suddenly Astrid was looking at herself, along with thousands of other people. She froze for a moment, before turning towards Eret. She was never big on public displays of affection, but not doing anything now would be even more embarrassing.

"Eret, kiss cam!" she said loudly. Her boyfriend was still looking to the side instead of at her or the screen, but he turned to glare at her.

"I'm on the phone!" he said, pointing at the little device, before turning away from her. "Yeah, sorry man, she keeps bugging me," he told Drago. Astrid faced forward again, wanting to turn invisible when the stadium burst out in boos.

She sighed in relief when the camera switched to a dark-haired boy and a blond girl at least a foot shorter than him. They seemed to be bickering lightheartedly, but when they noticed the camera they gently kissed. Astrid couldn't help but laugh when a dark-haired woman in front of her called out "You call that a kiss?! Boo!" The camera switched to more couples, and just when Astrid felt calm again, it suddenly switched back to her. The stadium went quiet as she turned back to her still oblivious boyfriend.

"Eret, look! The kiss cam is waiting for us!" she shouted, poking him hard. He pushed her hand away, again pointing at his phone.

"Damn it, As! I don't want to kiss, I'm on the phone!" he shouted back, and only the knowledge that the entire stadium was watching them stopped her from making a rude gesture at him. So she just slumped back in her seat and tried not to listen to the stadium oohing and sniggering. Thankfully the camera switched again, to a boy and a girl looking nearly identical. The two shared a glance before holding up a sign that said "We're twins! Loki'd!", making the entire stadium laugh.

The camera quickly switched again, this time to two men holding hands. One of the men looked nervous, but the other grabbed his face and pulled him into a passionate kiss. The stadium was silent and tense, but then someone loudly yelled "You go, guys!", breaking the ice. Other people started yelling encouragement as well, and the men parted to shyly wave at the camera.

The camera seemed to become more daring, switching to a young couple who were glancing awkwardly at each other. When they noticed the camera the girl giggled before pulling the boy in for a gentle peck on the lips. Astrid wondered when that excitement and nervousness had disappeared with her and Eret. She remembered kissing him for the first time and feeling happy, but now she wasn't looking forward to it anymore. Even the kiss cam didn't make her feel excited, just obligated.

When the camera turned to a grouchy couple sitting behind the gay men, who reluctantly kissed, Astrid wondered what she'd do if the camera would go back to her again. Part of her wanted to just ignore it, let Eret get booed again. But then the camera switched to the elderly couple she saw pose with Toothless earlier. The two were holding hands, and just smiled at each other before kissing for several seconds. The sight made her angry and jealous. And determined. She shouldn't give up like this! She was gonna fight for her relationship.

As if it was reading her mind, the next second the camera landed on her again. People around her laughed at Eret still not noticing the screen, but she felt strong. She wasn't going to let him ignore her again.

"Hey, look at me for a second!" she yelled, punching his arm.

"What is wrong with you! Can't you see I'm busy!" he yelled back.

"We're here together, on a date! Can't you at least pay attention to me? Everyone is watching us!" she yelled back.

"You forced me to come. I just want to have some fun too, not watch these babies run around!" he shouted. Astrid knew their audience couldn't hear the words, but they still oohed at their onscreen fight.

"Well, at least when I go to your game I cheer!" she shouted, punching his shoulder again. Eret grabbed her fist, before pushing her back to her seat with his other arm. The audience gasped.

"I didn't want to go here, so don't expect me to have fun," he muttered, before turning back to his phone. "Yeah, she yelled at me again. Stupid girls..." Astrid heard before tuning him out. She sat back down, glaring defiantly at the camera as if daring anyone to mock her. The Dragons fans seemed angry at Eret, at least, while the Vikings muttered unhappily.

Oddly enough, the camera didn't move onto another couple, but kept filming them looking away from each other angrily. Suddenly black feet appeared in the corner of the screen, and Astrid looked around to see Toothless descending the stairs next to her.

When he reached her he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "May I?" he said through the mask while gesturing at her soda. She wasn't sure what he wanted, and in her moment of indecision the mascot reached over her and pushed Eret lightly. "What's wrong with you, man?" she heard the muffled voice speak. Eret turned around and yelled at Toothless. Somehow, in that moment, she trusted the muffled nasal voice, so she stood up and moved to the stairs.

Toothless grabbed her soda, and without warning he stepped on her seat before holding the cup upside down over Eret. The brightly colored drink stained his helmet, and the audience cheered and yelled. Her boyfriend was frozen for a moment, before yelling profanities at her and the mascot.

Even though there was yelling, booing and cheering going on all around her, she suddenly felt very calm. And she did the thing she realized she should have done months ago.

"We're over, Eret! Find someone else to ignore," she yelled, making him freeze. Toothless suddenly put his arms under her, grabbing her bridal style before running up the stairs. Just before they reached the doors, he turned around and let out a loud roar, and Astrid saw they were still being filmed. The Dragons fans cheered and clapped loudly, and it was starting to hit her what she had just done in front of thousands of people. And yet she felt freer than ever when Toothless gently put her down after carrying her inside.

Slightly out of breath she turned around to look out through the open doors to see the heart-shaped display disappear and another commercial start. The stadium was buzzing and talking excitedly, and she could see Eret standing where she had left him, looking angry. When he turned in her direction Astrid quickly ducked behind the door. The movement alerted Toothless, who seemed to lose his bravado.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry, I didn't plan to do that, You must think I'm really creepy, carrying you off like that without asking. Oh man, my dad is gonna kill me," the boy in the suit said as he paced back and forth, making Astrid laugh, before grabbing his claw to stop his rambling.

"It's okay, I wanted to do that for a while, I think," she told him, and she could see his eyes relax a little.

"Me too," the boy blurted out. She must have looked confused, because he quickly continued. "I saw what happened on the cam, and I recognized him from school, he wasn't nice to me at all, and I kind of wanted to get back to him for that, especially after how he treated you, cause that wasn't cool, I mean, that's not what Toothless would do, and-"

"Hey! Calm down. I'm not mad," she said, and the mask looked down again, not looking all that fearsome anymore. She felt a memory poking at her, a person right on the tip of her tongue. "What's your name?" she asked, bending down a little to try and look through the little eyeholes.

"I, um… I'll just show you…" the boy said, before raising his claws and taking the mask off with a complicated move. It took Astrid a moment to recognize him under the mass of sweaty brown hair, but then she remembered high school.

"Hiccup? How did you end up in…" she asked, unable to continue the question without laughing. Hiccup smiled as well, thankfully. They had been friends. But then she hooked up with Eret and they drifted apart.

"Well, my dad is kind of the CEO of the Dragons, and when… you-know happened, he asked me to create the new image for the club," he explained, and she nodded. Hiccup had always been obsessed with dragons, and she suddenly wondered how she hadn't recognized Toothless from his old doodles before.

"And that included dressing up?" Astrid asked, trying not to embarrass him too much. Thankfully he looked proud of the costume.

"Yeah, when I lost the leg, I couldn't play soccer anymore, but this way I could still be part of the team, you know?" he explained, and she nodded, feeling guilty. She had heard about the accident, but she hadn't visited him. They hadn't talked for over a year by then, and she couldn't help but wonder how she let her best friend drift so far away.

"So, uhm, what have you been up to? Apart from dumping Eret, I mean," he asked, but before she could answer, a loud voice echoed through the hallway.

"HICCUP! What in Thor's name were you thinking?!" Astrid realized that his father was still as scary as ever. Hiccup's eyes widened before darting around, clearly searching for an escape, but before he could find one Stoick walked around the corner.

"Son!" the enormous man shouted when he saw Hiccup, and the boy looked like he wanted to sink right through the floor.

"That was brilliant! People loved that! They're talking about it on all the channels! The dragon saving the fair maiden from the vile hooligan! Now I get what you mean about Toothless being a protector, not a fighter! And-" his eyes fell on Astrid, and she suddenly felt very small.

"Astrid? Is that you? I didn't recognize you on the screen… Oh, now I get why Hiccup was so eager to save you…" Stoick continued, and Hiccup started blushing hard. His face, already hot from the costume, became even redder, and Astrid had to suppress her laugh.

"It's not like that, Dad! It's just that Eret was being a jerk, and-" Hiccup exclaimed, and Stoick just smiled wider under his thick mustache and beard.

"Sure, sure… You know what, we can't let this fair maiden back out for now, that idiot is still sitting there. How about you let her watch from the top seat with you, eh? Now, I've got to get the game started again, so I'll see you soon," the huge man said, slapping Hiccup on his shoulder and nearly making him fall over, before quickly walking off.

"Uhm… Okay… It seems you're a VIP now, so you get to watch in the team lounge, where I normally watch when I'm not needed on the field," he said shyly, and she smiled before following him.

"That sounds great. Though I expect you to take me out after the game. You owe me a soda," Astrid told him, and the butterflies she felt in her stomach when he laughed made her feel very happy after all to be caught on the kiss cam.


End file.
